Entries in afghanistan
(31)

U.S. Army Sgt. John Keller, a mortarman with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, sets up an M224 60 mm mortar system during live-fire training at Forward Operating Base Torkham, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2013. (Caption: DoD; photo by Staff Sgt. Jerry Saslav, U.S. Army National Guard)When President George W. Bush was in office, media paid a great deal of attention to the war in Afghanistan. After President Barack Obama took the Oval Office, coverage declined steeply even though troop deaths increased significantly.

Many Americans may not realize the U.S. military still has approximately 60,000 troops still serving in Afghanistan. [Brookings/Aug., 2013] Yet media pay scant attention to that or the notable increase in casualties.

Afghanistan has been viewed by most as the “righteous” war because that country harbored the Taliban, fanatics who are among the fiercest oppressors of women and freedom in general in the world today. The Taliban gave refuge to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, managing for years to do what they wanted when President Bill Clinton ran the White House.

Each generation of Americans has been touched by war. For my children, the War on Terror is a defining moment in their youth. The Gulf War, when many in this generation had parents who served, is another. The fact our military is now all-volunteer is an indication of the commitment to service that generation holds.

On Veterans Day, we should remember those sons and daughters still serving in a country torn by war and tyranny for generations. And we should concern ourselves with what comes after, especially to the women there, once our troop withdrawal is complete.

Restrictive rules of engagement, largely due to leftwing dove influence on Democrats, are one factor in the deaths. Breitbart reported an interview with a U.S. Marine:

“During the Bush administration, we were able to engage terrorists planting IEDs with greater ease. Now, if we see two guys on the side of the road and it looks like they're planting an IED, we are told to wait -- because they might be farmers.”

Latifa Azizi risks her life to sing in public in Afghanistan on the program 'Afghan Star.' (Still snip from video/Afghan Star)Many of us familiar with Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 attacks on America are very concerned about the lack of attention to the future of Afghan women once President Barack Obama finalizes the U.S exit. Afghan singer Latifa Azizi, currently competing on Afghanistan’s equivalent of American Idol, is an example.

Col. Harry Tunnell IV (right), 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team commander in Kandahar, Afghanistan, prepared to board a helicopter for a recon flight in January 2010. (Photo: Sgt. First Class Shannon Wright, U.S. Army)Following a one-year deployment to southern Afghanistan, an infantry commander wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Army explaining what had gone so terribly wrong with the war.

The letter was written in 2010; the assertions in that letter ring true now.

Commander risked career

Col. Harry D. Tunnell IV, former commander of the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Stryker Brigade, is a combat veteran of multiple campaigns and a "formally trained" military historian.

Tunnell voiced his concerns about the war's execution to his chain of command. They were powerless to fix the problems, so Tunnell felt compelled to write a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh in order to improve the situation.

President Barack Obama visited ICU at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. Obama presented a total of ten Purple Hearts, three of them to soldiers in ICU. [Photo: Pete Souza; US Army website]Late Tuesday evening (U.S. time), messages began to flow about the attacks in Kabul after President Barack Obama’s departure.

As U.S. media published accounts of MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews’ praise for Obama, journalists positioned in Afghanistan were reporting (via social media) the Taliban’s announcement of a new spring offensive dubbed Al-Farooq and the deaths of children in a suicide bombers' attack.

View of surrounding farmlands from within the caves at the ‘Large Buddha’ in Bamyan. The caves were once inhabited by Buddhist monks who left behind a legacy of religious frescoes and paintings, partially destroyed by the fundamentalist Taliban. (Photo and caption The CIA World Factbook)The US Report’s associate editor Chris Carter has been following political developments related to allegedly desecrated Korans allegedly disposed of by US troops in Afghanistan. Note the ‘allegedly’ is necessary for legal purposes.

Sky News and other media reported that detainees at a US-run prison were passing messages to each other via the Korans. I don’t know about Islam, but if a Christian did that with a holy Bible, that would be considered disrespectful. As a matter of fact, I was taught you couldn’t even place a book or anything atop a Bible.

President Barack Obama has struggled to deal with this matter, considering troop deaths have increased on his watch, and he began handling it by apologizing. He claimed that calmed things down and then more soldiers were shot by the Afghans we are training.

I’ve often said those who follow a rigid Islamic doctrine will never accept the concept of freedom of expression Westerners cherish. For instance, if I saw someone burn a holy Bible, I would be furious. But I would not attack the person; nor would I expect my government to prosecute the person.

As a Christian, I’ve become accustomed to all manner of ridicule and hate speech leveled at my faith, not just from a sector of the political class in the U.S. but also from large sectors of the general public in countries around the world.

The recent alleged burning of copies of the Koran in Afghanistan and the violence that followed demonstrate irreconcilable differences between Muslims in theocratic regimes and the West.

November 25, 2011 marked the 10th anniversary of the death of the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan. CIA officer Johnny Michael Spann was killed at Mazar-e Sharif when hundreds of prisoners who had supposedly surrendered chose instead to attack.

An official account at the CIA website said Spann’s “last act…was to warn an Agency colleague of the imminent danger.” Spann was interviewing some detainees when the attack began.

Al Qaeda has once again used the Web as a front in its war on the West, publishing a hit list complete with names and pictures of US business people, think tank leaders, media and military contractors. Many other issues factor into this latest news. Media will probably not bring them up.